TOOLS FOR FORGING SHOE. 141 



The fireman's tools (see Plate) consist of a turning hammer, 

 boss hammer, tongs, stamps, fullers, pritchels, drawing knife, 

 footrule, heel cutters, heel crease, compass (with or without 

 set-screw), concave tools, anvil and vice. A very few words 

 on each must suffice. 



The turning hammer has one Hat and one convex face, weighs 

 about 3^ lbs., and is used for turning the shoe : hence its name. 

 The boss hammer is about the same weight, and is used for 

 drawing clips and fitting on the shoes. Many farriers use only 

 a turnino' hammer. 



The tongs are used for holding the iron whilst making the 

 shoe, and several sizes are required to take different sizes of 

 iron. 



Stamps are used to make, and pritchels to clear out, the 

 nail holes. The stamp, having a comparatively obtuse point, 

 forms the countersunk part of the nail hole which accommo- 

 dates the nail head, the pritchel completes the operation, and 

 finishes that part of the nail hole in which lies the ' neck ' of 

 the nail. Fullers form the groove or ' crease ' around the edafe 

 of the shoe, and should correspond in section to the shape of 

 the nail-head. 



The fireman uses a drawing knife only to cut out the clip- 

 hole at the toe, and to press the shoe home when fitting it to 

 the foot. The knife drawn indicates very clearly how this is 

 done. 



A footrule is sometimes useful in measurino- the width of 

 foot preparatory to cutting iron for a shoe, and in measuring 

 the length of iron required. A compass often replaces the 

 rule. When roughing, the width of the shoe at the nail holes is 

 measured, the set-screw turned, and a permanent record ob- 

 tained for fixing the exact width of the shoe at the heels. 



The purpose of heel-cutters is sufficiently explained by their 

 name. Several sizes are needed for different work. The heel 

 crease is used after the heel is cut off; it finishes the work and 

 saves labour in filing up the shoe. 



' Concave tools ' are used to give the proper bevel to the 

 concave shoe. For good work they are very necessary. Three 

 sizes (-g- inch, ^ inch, and 1 inch) are required. 



The anvil is of the form shown, weighs from 2^ to 3 cwt., 

 and is firmly fixed to a block of wood deeply sunk in the ground, 



